labyrinth

Where does the word "labyrinth" come from? It comes from Greek labyrinthos, passing through Latin before entering English (1400s).

Labyrinth’s story begins in Greek: labyrinthos meant “a maze, especially the Minotaur's maze.” The maze built to contain the mythical Minotaur on Crete. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as labyrinthus. The Cretan labyrinth built by Daedalus to hold the Minotaur. It reached English by 1400s as labyrinth. Settled as the word for any complex, maze-like structure. Today, labyrinth means an intricate, maze-like network of paths or passages.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient labyrinthos "a maze, especially the Minotaur's maze", the maze built to contain the mythical Minotaur on Crete.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient labyrinthus "a maze", the Cretan labyrinth built by Daedalus to hold the Minotaur.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1400s labyrinth "a complex, maze-like structure", settled as the word for any complex, maze-like structure.